


You Are My Sunshine

by tale_to_tell



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Castiel and Dean Winchester Falling in Love, Cute, Depressed Castiel (Supernatural), Depressed Dean Winchester, Flowers, Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Neighbors, Nymph Castiel (Supernatural), Nymph Dean, Nymphs & Dryads, One Shot, ProfoundPrompts, Soft Castiel (Supernatural), Soft Dean Winchester, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2020-12-30
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:14:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,104
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28426875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tale_to_tell/pseuds/tale_to_tell
Summary: Castiel is a flower nymph. Most days it's fine. He enjoys working out in his garden and tending to his plants. Unfortunately, since he is a sunflower nymph his mood tends to sink drastically whenever the sun is not shining. He spends nights and stormy days holed up in his house, feeling hopeless and miserable.That changes when he goes on a date with Dean Winchester, whose presence alone seems to banish away all of Castiel's dark thoughts and feelings, even when the sun does not shine.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 21
Kudos: 86
Collections: ProfoundBond Prompt Collection





	You Are My Sunshine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyRithri_OfOrsinium](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyRithri_OfOrsinium/gifts).



> I don't own Supernatural
> 
> This is based off a prompt I got on the ProfoundBond Discord server: AU where Castiel is a creature that thrives in sunlight, so when it’s cloudy, stormy, or night out, he becomes a ball of depressed sadness. One day he meets Dean at ‘such & such location’ and is so mesmerized by him that Cas doesn’t notice they’ve been talking/hanging out for hours. He realizes it’s gotten dark out, but for some reason he feels fine... until Dean leaves to go home. 
> 
> (the prompt was based on a Tumblr post saying the sunflowers face each other in the absence of the sun)
> 
> Once again I took some liberties with nymphs and flowers, so hopefully that doesn't bother anyone too much

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Castiel sighed. 

He knew the weather was supposed to be taking a wetter turn, but he had been hoping that it would wait until the evening. 

No such luck. 

There was a crack of lightning, quickly followed by thunder, and Castiel had to admit defeat. He sighed once more and left his beautiful garden to the mercy of the storm as he stumbled back inside his house. 

It was only minutes later that the rain began to come down on the roof of his house. Castiel’s mood sunk lower as he listened to rhythmic pattering. It wasn’t the rain that bothered Castiel but rather the clouds that brought the rain. 

Castiel was a flower nymph. His flowers were sunflowers, and, as the name implied, they greatly loved the sun. Castiel was easily affected by the weather because of the sunflower’s reliance on the sun. His mood changed with the appearance of the sun. He was happiest on warm, sunny days, and he was the saddest on stormy days, like today. Castiel’s mood also changed during the evening, when the moon was out instead of the sun, though it was a little different. Castiel felt worse when the sun was gone during a time that it was supposed to be visible, so while he was uneasy during the night he was downright miserable during day storms and cloudy days. The eclipse was its own sort of hell. 

In drastic cases, Castiel’s health could be affected by the weather. This normally only happened when it was stormy for multiple days. As long as he got a little bit of sun, he was usually able to remain healthy. 

Lightning struck again and Castiel shivered. He felt sluggish and restless now that the storm had hit fully. There wasn’t anything he could do but mope around his house. He had long-since learned that nothing was able to pull him out of the weather-induced moodiness except for the sun. 

Castiel changed into his pajamas and then made himself a cup of tea. He made himself comfortable on his sofa with a large, fluffy blanket. His tea helped him to calm a little bit, but it didn’t keep away the storm of desperate, anxious thoughts that began to flood Castiel’s mind. 

Everything felt dark and pointless. 

Castiel put his tea down so he could drop his head into his hands. He hated feeling so miserable. 

Thunder rolled, and to Castiel’s dismay his stomach rolled with it. 

It was a relief and an annoyance when the phone started to ring. Castiel knew who it was without looking at the Caller ID. 

“Hello, Gabriel.” Castiel greeted quietly. 

“Heya, Cassie.” Gabriel replied. “How are you holding up?” 

“Not well.” Castiel admitted. 

“Yeah,” Gabe said, sounding sympathetic, “I didn’t think you would be.”

Castiel bit his lip. “You know the first major storm is always the most difficult for me.”

“I do.” Gabriel said. “Wish there was something I could do to make you feel better, bro.” 

“As do I, but there is nothing.” Castiel said with no little amount of despair. 

There was a beat of silence. 

“You want me to go?” Gabe asked. 

“I appreciate you calling and checking up on me.” Castiel said haltingly. 

“It’s okay if you want some time alone, Cassie. I won’t be offended.” Gabriel assured him. 

Castiel let out a breath. “Then in that case, I would appreciate some time to myself.”

“Okie doke. I’ll call you tomorrow to see how you’re holding up.” 

“Thank you.” 

“No problem, bro.” Gabriel said. “Get some rest, okay?” 

“I will.” Castiel promised. “Goodbye, Gabriel.” 

“Bye, bro.” 

Castiel hung up first. He really did appreciate Gabe’s concern, but he could hardly find the energy to move, let alone talk to someone. Gabriel was his brother and a fellow nymph, but his flowers were chrysanthemums. Chrysanthemums also thrived in the sun, but not the extent of sunflowers, so Gabe wasn’t as impacted by the absence of the sun. 

Castiel pulled the blanket around himself tighter and took up his cup of tea. There was little he could do but wait out the storm and hope that it passed by morning. If he spent most of that time crying, well, there was no one around to know. 

* * * * * 

The storm did indeed pass by morning, but it was present all night long, so Castiel had barely gotten any rest. He’d spent the night tossing and turning. 

At least the weather was clear now. It was bright and sunny outside, and his garden was flush with the remnants of the rain. Castiel wandered out into his garden and inspected the various plants. Most of the flowers had lost their petals in the rain, but luckily few stems had been broken. 

There wasn’t any watering or weeding to be done, so Castiel took advantage of the sun by uncovering his porch-chair and bringing out a book. He positioned the chair so that it was directly in the sun. He reminded himself a bit of a cat when he did things like this, but Castiel couldn’t help that he immensely enjoyed soaking up the warmth. 

Castiel spent the entire day reading, breaking only twice to get something to eat and drink (which he did outside). He was so engrossed in the warmth of the sun and the plot of his book that he hadn’t realized the sun setting until his phone chimed with an alarm alerting him that there were only five minutes of sunlight left. His 

Castiel startled at the alarm and glanced around his yard. His sunflowers had followed the path of the sun throughout the day and were now facing the west. The porch light had turned out automatically without him noticing. Castiel felt his spirits sink immediately. He usually spent more time preparing himself for the evening by getting comfortable, but tonight he would have to rush. 

Castiel stood and readied to head inside, but he was interrupted. 

“Hey, Cas!” 

Castiel paused and glanced over his shoulder. 

Dean Winchester, Castiel’s next-door neighbor, waved at him from his own porch. 

Castiel hesitated before he called back, “Hello, Dean!” 

“How’ve you been, man?” Dean asked, shuffling towards Castiel’s yard. “It’s been ages since I’ve seen you.” 

“Not surprising.” Castiel said. Dean laughed and nodded. 

Dean Winchester was a nurse that took the night shifts. As far as Castiel could tell, Dean offered to take the night shifts, which seemed like an odd thing to do, but Castiel did not judge. It was actually rather admirable. Castiel couldn't imagine many people would like to be up and about at such odd hours. 

Dean was also the only other person on the street that had a garden that rivaled Castiel’s. He had no idea when Dean managed to work on his garden, but it was always beautiful (much like the man himself).

“You ready for winter?” 

“No.” Castiel answered, grimacing. He mirrored Dean by moving down from his porch and approaching Dean’s yard. 

Castiel glanced briefly at the sun. It was still fully visible, so Castiel had some time before he needed to get inside and settle down. 

“I love winter.” Dean said. 

“You don’t get much of those here.” Castiel commented. “Surely there are better winters outside of California.” 

“There are.” Dean admitted. “But Sammy’s going to school here, and I like to be close to him.” 

“Sam is your brother, right?” 

“Yep.” Dean answered cheerfully. “Smartest little shit that I know.” 

His expression was full of pride at the mention of his brother, and Castiel couldn’t help but smile. 

“I understand your reasoning.” Castiel said. “I would prefer to move somewhere sunnier, but Gabriel doesn’t care for scorching heat so Southern California is out of the question.” 

“Yeah, you get it.” Dean said with a wide grin. “I haven’t met your brother before. Is he around a lot?” 

“He tends to visit for lunch.” Castiel said. 

“Ah.” Dean said. “That’s why I never see him. I’m asleep.” 

“Yes, I have noticed you are rather nocturnal.” 

“I love the night.” Dean said with a shrug and a smile. “What can I say?” 

Dean’s enthusiasm was contagious it seemed, because Castiel could only smile back. 

“So, why are you looking forward to winter?” He asked. 

“I just love winter weather.” Dean explained. “I love overcast days and rain.”

“I am the opposite.” Castiel told him. “I despise overcast days and rain, and I love the sun.” 

Dean gaped at him. 

“But it’s so  _ hot _ .” He said, practically whining.

Dean’s reaction was strangely endearing, and Castiel laughed. “I don’t mind the warmth. My favorite flowers are sunflowers.” 

“They are?” Dean asked. 

Castiel nodded. 

“Huh.” Dean said. “My favorite are moonflowers.” 

“Moonflowers?” Castiel tilted his head. “I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of those.” 

“They bloom in moonlight and stay open on overcast days.” Dean explained. 

“And that is why you love the winter?” 

“Pretty much.” Dean said. “Actually, I don’t know if they would even do well in harsher winters. I just love being able to see them bloom.” 

“That is understandable.” Castiel said. “I feel the same towards my sunflowers.” 

Dean gave him a secretive sort of smile. “Seems like we’re both flower men, huh?” 

Castiel smiled in return. “Seems like it.” 

Dean ducked his head briefly, then met Castiel’s gaze again. He was smirking. 

“You know,” He said, voice flirtatious and teasing, “They also call my flowers  _ morning glories _ .” 

Castiel felt his eyes widen and his face grow warm. 

Was Dean…  _ flirting  _ with him?” 

Dean’s smirk only grew, leading Castiel to believe that Dean was indeed flirting with him. 

“That’s fascinating.” Castiel managed to croak. 

“Is it?” Dean teased. 

“Very.” Castiel nodded. “I don’t suppose you’d want to show me your, erm, morning glories sometime?”

This time it was Dean that was blushing, which sent Castiel’s blood absolutely soaring in his veins. 

“Sure thing, Cas.” Dean said, his voice taking an earnest tone. “Whenever you want.” 

Castiel swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. 

It was no secret that Dean was  _ immensely  _ attractive, and right now it was almost all Castiel could think of because Dean looked absolutely stunning with his freckles and eyes in the fading sunlight. 

Wait. 

Castiel blinked and spun around rapidly, eyes searching for the sun. 

To Castiel’s shock, the sun was completely down and it was already twilight. 

Castiel hadn’t felt the sunset at all. 

His whole life, Castiel would feel a twinge of discomfort at sunset that would only be relieved at dawn, sunny weather or not. 

But for some reason, tonight Castiel couldn’t feel a thing. 

“Cas?” 

Castiel turned back to Dean, suddenly aware of how odd he must seem. Dean’s looked concerned and a bit wary. 

“Sorry if that was too far.” Dean said, shuffling and averting his eyes. “I should probably let you know that I have a fucking massive crush on you, so if you were serious, I would love to take you out sometime.” 

Castiel stared at Dean, still trying to process how he hadn’t felt the sunset.

Dean must’ve taken his silence for rejection, because he lost his lovely smile and started to turn away. 

“Wait!” Castiel reached out to grab Dean quickly. “I would love to go on a date with you.” 

Dean blinked, then grinned. “You would?” 

“Of course.” Castiel said.

“Awesome.” Dean said. “Friday night at six work for you?” 

Castiel was on the verge of saying that he didn’t go out at night, but he stopped himself. He preferred to stay in at night because he didn’t like to be sad or upset anywhere outside of his home, but for some reason he wasn’t feeling depressed at all. 

“Yes, that would be acceptable.” Castiel said. 

“Great.” Dean hesitated, then leaned forward and gave Castiel a quick kiss on his cheek. “I’ve gotta get going to work now, but I’ll see you Friday.” 

Castiel, stunned and starting to become overwhelmed by the amount of surprises that evening, could barely manage out a, “See you Friday, Dean.” 

“Looking forward to it.” Dean said. He turned and headed back for his car. 

Castiel watched him go for a moment before he turned to his own house. 

The second that Castiel got through his door, the horrible hopeless sensation returned as sharp as ever, and Castiel let out a choked gasp. 

It was so strange that he hadn’t felt it at all when he was with Dean. 

This was something to look into. Castiel only had to wait until Friday. Until then, Castiel made himself stumble to his room. He couldn't find the will to change, or even remove his shoes, as he slumped into bed. 

* * * * * 

Dean showed up at Castiel’s door at 6pm sharp. The sun had already been down for half-an-hour, and Castiel was aware of its affect on his mood. 

Dean was dressed casually, but it still sent Castiel’s heart fluttering. 

“Is it okay if I cook for you?” Dean asked. 

“That would be lovely.” Castiel answered. 

Dean grinned and gestured to the porch. Castiel stepped out of his house and locked his door, then he followed Dean to Dean’s house. 

Dean paused briefly by his front door and reached out a hand to touch Castiel’s forearm. 

Castiel had to stop himself from sucking in his breath as all the unhappy thoughts seemed to disappear at Dean’s touch. 

“Thank you for agreeing to go out with me.” Dean said softly. “You have no idea how long I was pining for you.”

“No, I don’t.” Castiel agreed. “I am very happy that you made your feelings known.” 

Dean’s eyes seem to twinkle at that. He opened the door and led Castiel inside to the dining room, which was already ready with place-settings and food. Clearly Dean had prepared in advance. 

“What would you have done if I had said I didn’t want you to cook for me?” Castiel asked as he took a seat. 

Dean shrugged, looking sheepish. “Put it away when I got back and then saved it for the weekend or something, I guess. I’m really glad you said yes, though, because I’m really fucking good at cooking.” 

Good was an understatement. Dean had made lemon and asparagus chicken pasta and breadsticks that turned out to be one of the best things Castiel had ever tried. He told Dean so, with many words of praise. 

(It was a bonus to see Dean blush and stammer.)

“So, Cas,” Dean said, midway through the meal (the bad feelings were still very much gone, amazingly), “I’ve got a question for you.”

Castiel swallowed his bite of food. “Yes?”

Dean pursed his lips for a second, then met Castiel’s curious gaze. 

“Are you a nymph?” 

Castiel froze mid-bite and the food on his fork slipped off and fell back onto his plate. 

“What?” He asked, aghast. 

“Are you a nymph?” Dean repeated. “I won’t care if you are.” 

Castiel slowly put down his fork. He had no idea how to handle this type of situation. 

But it was Dean, and despite all the alarms going off in Castiel’s head, he couldn’t bring himself to lie to Dean. 

“I am.” He said. “I am an anthousai, a flower nymph. I am a sunflower nymph, specifically.” 

Dean grinned. “Well, whaddya know?”

Castiel frowned. “Pardon?” 

“I’m a moonflower nymph.” 

Castiel blinked, then squinted. He couldn’t tell if Dean was being truthful or not. 

“Are you mocking me?” 

Dean lost his smile immediately and he shook his head. 

“Not at all!” He said. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for a while now, both ‘cause I had a crush on you and also because I thought you might be a nymph. You spend all your time in your garden, and you never come out after the sun sets or before dawn. I noticed that right away because I only ever come out after the sun sets and I go in before dawn. There was never a good moment to talk to you, and then I thought that I might as well come out early and ask you out.” 

“And how did that confirm your suspicions of me as a nymph?” Castiel questioned. 

Dean ducked his head. He seemed a bit embarrassed when he explained, “Since I’m a moonflower nymph, I feel my best when the moon’s out, or when it’s cloudy outside. Otherwise I’m not in a great mood, I’m kind of a downer. I wasn’t feeling too hot when I went to see you, but as soon as we started talking I felt better, and the sun was still up. Kind of gave me a clue that there might be something magical going on.” 

“Isn’t the moon visible during the day?” Castiel asked. 

“Uh,” Dean scratched at the back of his head. “Yeah, pretty much. It’s kind of complicated with the angles and times of the sun and moon and earth and all that, but the moonflower only blooms when the sun is not out, so even if you can see the moon during the day, the flower won’t be in bloom.”

“And you feel depressed when your flower is not in bloom?” 

“I wouldn’t call it  _ depressed _ .” Dean mumbled, eyes flicking down. “I’m just kind of mopy and hopeless, ya know?” 

“I do!” Castiel exclaimed, and Dean jumped in alarm. “I do know! I get the exact same way!” 

Dean blinked. “You do?” 

“I do.” Castiel said. “The weather and time affects me rather drastically, but being with you has completely stopped it from bothering me.” 

Dean leaned back in his chair, staring at Castiel with something akin to awe in his features. 

“That’s kind of incredible.” Dean said. “How does that work?” 

“I have no clue.” Castiel said. “I did not realize that it could work like that.” 

“Me neither.” Dean said. “Damn. You are not allowed to leave my life now.” 

Castiel’s heart swelled unexpectedly at that. He may have only had very brief conversations with Dean, but he had no doubt that their relationship was the start of some sort of profound bond. 

“I mean, if you wanna leave you can leave.” Dean said hastily. “I just meant that I really appreciate you and I’m happy to have met you and I feel fucking grateful to be on a date with you.” 

Castiel smiled. Dean rambled when he was nervous. 

Castiel reached across the table and took Dean’s hand, startling the other man into silence. “I understand, Dean. I feel the same.” 

Dean’s lips quirked at that. 

“So, I guess that makes me your sunshine?” 

Castiel rolled his eyes, but he smiled. “Yes, Dean. You are my sunshine.” 

**Author's Note:**

> okay so I wrote this all in one sitting so I expect there will be a lot of mistakes but it's almost 2am and I don't want to read through it so I'm just going to post this and go to sleep lol  
> this fic was meant to be ~1500 but instead it's 3k so I guess I'm an overachiever lol
> 
> I hope y'all enjoyed another nymph fic (fantasy is starting to become a more appealing genre to explore)  
> Just a note that the flowers were given very minimal research because in my mind if something isn't specifically stated, I can interpret it how I want, so there may be some incorrect things with the flowers or nymphs lol 
> 
> If anyone wants to chat or find more Destiel writers, authors, and lovers, stop by the [Profound Bond Discord Server](https://discord.gg/profoundbond) and say hi !
> 
> anyways... I hope everyone had a fantastic December (can you believe 2020 is almost over???) and will be having a great New Years  
> stay safe out there n let me know what you think :D  
> -cap out-


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